


Evening Soirée

by dandelionsandsunshine



Series: Patchwork [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Muggle, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, James and lily are each other's dates, Meet-Cute, Not Canon Compliant, because marlene and sirius set them up, first attempt at AU!!, jily, side marlene/peter even though I don't really ship them?, side wolfstar, they're just 2 characters who happened to be dancing together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29916759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionsandsunshine/pseuds/dandelionsandsunshine
Summary: In which Lily Evans and James Potter are each other's dates for a family event that Marlene dragged Lily to.
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Patchwork [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2198742
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Evening Soirée

Lily fidgeted uncomfortably as she watched Marlene stride across the room through the crowd of people toward her. They were in a huge ballroom in a giant mansion at a party that Marlene had forced her to come to. It was probably some rich family thing that Lily wouldn't get. The walls and ceilings were a soft beige, but the chandeliers and exquisite curtains could have fooled an unsuspecting stranger into thinking they were at a palace.

"Lily! Look who I found!" Marlene said, flashing her a white smile. Marlene was dragging someone else behind her, and as some old man holding a drink shifted to make room in the bustling crowd, Lily could see who it was. Sirius Black, Marlene's distant cousin.

"Oh, hey! Sirius, how are you?" Lily asked, slightly confused as to why he was panting like a dog.

Sirius pulled his hand out of Marlene's and gasped a little, clutching at his stomach. "Sorry — out of breath — just a second —"

Lily pulled Marlene toward her and hissed in her ear, "What's going on?"

Marlene gave her a pointed look and patted at Lily's hair like she was some sort of pet. Lily glared at her, pulling away. She'd spent far too much time styling her ginger hair into pretty waves before they arrived at the party, and she was _not_ going to let it get messed up before she even had a single drink.

"Sorry! Marlene dragged me across the room so fast I had to run to catch up," Sirius said, finally straightening up and dusting off his emerald green suit. "Anyway, remember how Marlene said that it's weird to show up to this sort of white-collar event without a date? Well, great news, we found you a date! Isn't that so great? And he's going to be here in just a second!"

Sirius said all of that in one long, huge breath and ended by grinning sheepishly up at her, tilting his head, and letting his puppy eyes and handsome mop of hair speak for him.

Lily immediately rounded on Marlene, who was trying to make her escape. "Marlene! What the hell! You never told me that I needed a date!"

Marlene gave her a guilty smile before saying, "Okay, fine, I knew you would never come if I told you that you needed a date. And technically, you don't _need_ a date, but it would certainly make for a better first impression. Luckily, Sirius was willing to help me out, and we managed to get you a decent date! The other options were my thirty-year-old cousin who's a slimy git of a public attorney, his name's Lucius, and some nerdy politician guy that my friend knows named Podmore. Sirius can vouch for James."

"James?"

"James Potter! He's my best friend, I promise he's a decent bloke. Try not to kick him in the balls if he flirts too much," Sirius supplied with a smirk.

Marlene whirled around, her pink dress swishing around her. Jesus, Marlene looked like she _belonged_ here, in this freakishly expensive house, wearing her freakishly fancy dress with the freakishly gorgeous jewelry that Lily _sincerely_ hoped weren't diamonds.

Meanwhile, Lily was here in a baby blue dress that she had to borrow from her older sister, Petunia, and even that hadn't been easy to acquire. After a lot of heated disputes over the dress had ensued, their mother practically forced the dress into Lily's hands while she shoved her out the door, sick of her two daughters' constant arguments.

"Speak of the devil!" Marlene chirped, fluffing up her perfect brown curls that were spilling off of her head in cascading waves. "James Potter, it's so nice to see you!"

The devil, indeed.

The moment Lily laid her eyes on James Potter, her thoughts were so sinful that she was sure the devil would reserve a special place in Hell for her.

He practically took her breath away, standing there casually in a posh crimson suit, messy black curls untidy in a way that made her heart hammer in her chest, hazel eyes peeking out from under long lashes and crooked glasses, his skin so smoothly brown that she could see her reflection in it.

Lily was staring, but she couldn't bring herself to care, especially when he lifted a hand to wave at her and then proceeded to mess up his already mussed hair.

"Hi," Lily mumbled. "James. Evans."

She flushed, realizing that she wasn't making any sense. 

"Sorry, I meant hi, James. I'm Lily Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you," she corrected quickly, willing her face to cool down.

James, for his part, seemed relatively nonplussed. "Hi, Lily! It's nice to meet you!"

Lily forced herself to shake his hand, but her heart was pounding so loudly that she barely heard Sirius speak.

"Great! Now that you two are introduced, we're going to head off. I have a hot date to catch up to!" Sirus said with a large grin, before bounding off into the crowd, followed closely by a smirking Marlene who sent Lily a knowing look.

That left Lily and James standing there in the corner of the huge room, pressed away from the adults mingling around them.

"So, what brings you to this splendid soiree?" Lily asked, reminding herself that he was her _date_ , and she was allowed to talk to him, but not to ogle him. The latter was harder to manage.

"Oh, Sirius is practically my brother, and Marlene and I grew up as family friends. We're all from the annoyingly stuck-up families that you see here, acting as if they're better than everybody," James said, scrunching up his nose. Lily was pleasantly surprised to find out that James, unlike many of the others in this room, wasn't a disgusting bigot who thought Lily was less than him because she wasn't as rich.

James must have figured out what Lily was thinking, because he said, "I can see that you thought I was a prat, like the Malfoys and most of the rich families here." He ignored her protesting and scandalized look. "No, I'm not mad, of course! You're completely right to think that. I'm just glad I could prove you wrong."

James gave her the most delicious smile and Lily just knew that her cheeks were burning up again.

"Ah, yes, sorry for assuming. It's just — since I've got here, I've been on the receiving end of many nasty looks and confusing glares. Pretty sure that there aren't that many redheads at this party," Lily said, cracking a grin.

They were now wading through the room, trying to make it to the drinks table. James had grabbed her hand to not lose her, and Lily hoped her hands weren't clammy.

"I think the Prewetts were invited — they're redheads too — but I honestly have no idea if they're here. And don't worry about it, I'm sorry that people can be jerks." James said it so earnestly that Lily's heart twisted in her chest. He fixed her with a small smile.

"How come you're dateless?" Lily asked, changing the subject. "I could be wrong, but it seems to me like you'd be one of the most eligible bachelors here," she remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Wouldn't every rich girl our age be throwing themself at you?"

"Are you saying that I'm handsome?"

Lily scoffed. "Oh, don't get ahead of yourself. All I'm saying is that you're young, _decent_ -looking, and very rich."

James just grinned back at her. They were at the drinks table now, and he was pouring her some champagne. "You and I both know that I'm the most handsome man in this room."

Lily wouldn't say it out loud, but she agreed with him. It wasn't even a competition. The only person who could come close to beating him would be Sirius, but she wasn't attracted to Sirius in that way.

She took the drink from his hand and downed it in one gulp, saving herself from having to respond.

"But, if you must know, it's because I'm not a fan of mothers trying to play matchmaker between me and their precious daughters. All those girls are trying so hard to impress me with their domestic skills that I'm surprised one of them hasn't shown up to our date with a baby on her hip yet. You know, just to prove that they'll be able to take care of the babies that we'll have."

Lily laughed. "God, that sounds like torture. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that crap."

James sighed and took a sip of his drink. He looked super posh and gentleman-like, unlike Lily, who had just chugged her second shot. James ran a hand through his hair again, and Lily found herself smiling. He was quite an endearing boy.

"Yeah, it's pretty exhausting. That's why I try to avoid these stupid balls if I can. I spend most of my time with the boys."

Lily cocked her head. "The boys?"

"Oh, yeah, those are my friends. Sirius, Remus, and Peter. You've met Sirius, but the others are my best friends too. Sirius is practically my brother, and he and Remus are dating." James grinned at that. "Believe me, most of the stuck-up rich people in this room hate the fact that Sirius Black, heir to one of the largest fortunes, came out as gay, was kicked out by his family, started dating a bisexual bloke, and moved in with my family, who's almost as rich as his. Now he just comes to these events to piss off his cousins."

Lily laughed. "That's such a power move. I'd probably be too terrified to attend one of these again after being publicly shunned by my family. I've gotta give it to Sirius— he's brave."

"Yeah, Sirius is one of the bravest guys I know. By the way, how do you already know him?"

Lily took another gulp of her champagne. She was trying not to get drunk too quickly, but it was really hard given that she was a fast drinker. "Oh, I met him once at one of Marlene's parties. They're cousins, apparently, but I didn't realize he would be here today. I didn't know a single thing about what to expect today. If I had known how expensive everyone was dressing I would have gone out to buy a new dress! Mine's my sister's old engagement dress and it doesn't even fit me right," Lily griped, adjusting the straps of her dress.

"Lily, your dress is perfect. You look stunning in it," James said, meeting her eyes with a hard look. "The only reason you stand out is that you're the most beautiful girl in the room."

Lily melted like putty in front of him, her cheeks turning a shade of pretty pink. Vaguely, she registered that she was falling for him, and _hard._ No one else had made her hands sweaty, her heart fluttery, and her cheeks so pink, in many years.

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Lily said exasperatedly, not meeting his eyes. "Look at you, standing there so casually with your messy hair and lopsided glasses, wearing that perfectly tailored suit that makes you completely irresistible. I can't even look at you without blushing!"

Lily gasped, dropping her glass of champagne on the table and covering her mouth. "Oh, shoot, did I say that out loud?"

James was laughing though, and it was his turn to blush. "Well, I'm quite honored. I did tell you that I'm the most handsome guy in this room, though." He shot her a winning smirk.

Just as Lily was gearing up to respond to him, someone else pushed through the crowd and reached the drinks table. While she and James had been chatting, there had been many a visitor who intended to get some drinks, but this person had stopped right before them. Lily shifted uneasily.

"James! Hi, how are you?"

James smiled politely at the person, who was a young woman with beautiful blonde hair in a silver dress. "Hi, Loretta. How are you?"

"Great, thanks! You look wonderful in that suit, by the way. I was just wondering if you wanted to dance?"

Lily froze up a little bit. Yes, James was her date, and yes, she was starting to fancy him quite a bit, but she had no _claim_ over him. He could dance with whoever he pleased, Lily reminded herself.

"Ah, sorry, Lor. I would love to, but I think I owe it to my date to give her the first dance. Maybe next time?"

For the first time, Loretta turned to look at Lily. She smiled, although it seemed more like a grimace to Lily.

"Lily, this is Loretta Evermonde. We're family friends. Loretta, this is my date, Lily Evans."

Lily shook Loretta's hand as politely as she could manage.

"James! I have to say, I'm surprised that you brought an outsider date to one of our parties. What would your father think?" Loretta tutted, shaking her head.

James' hand came around to grip Lily's waist. "I don't care about how rich Lily, or anyone, is. And my dad is perfectly fine with it, thank you very much. Now, if you will excuse us, I believe we have a dance to get to."

He turned them away from Loretta, walking a few steps into the swirling crowd of dancers and minglers before he let go of Lily.

"God, I'm so sorry, Lily! Loretta can be a prat sometimes." James looked at her earnestly, taking her hands in his larger ones. They were soft but rough, and she felt safe when they were touching her.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to come to this party," Lily said with a shaky smile. She would never admit it, but it did bother her when people treated her as lesser than them because of her social status. _James doesn't think that shit,_ Lily thought to herself. _He would never agree with that._

James shook his head. "Still, you should never have to deal with idiots like her." Lily was getting a little bit uncomfortable, and James was picking up on that. "Anyway, do you want to dance?"

Lily smiled gratefully at him. "Yes, I would love to."

The music playing was a lively salsa that Lily had no idea how to dance to. Thankfully, James seemed to know, because he took her hands in his and started to step sideways and backward. Lily mimicked his movements and after a few missteps and blunders, they were successfully dancing to the salsa. A few minutes into the dance, they were both laughing and talking as they stepped closer to each other, shimmying side to side, and Lily was having the time of her life. She'd even managed to stop stepping on James' feet so much! And even when she did, he just laughed even more. They were now basically pressed up against each other, swaying and tapping their feet forward and backward, and Lily rested her forehead on James'. They were both sweating a little bit, and Lily's perfect curls had been mussed by now, but she didn't care at all.

The song ended and Lily slumped a little bit against James' shoulder, his arm snaking around her waist to hold her there as the next song started. It was a slow, sweet waltz, and a welcome break from all the shimmying they had just done.

"Alright, Evans?" James said into her ear, his breath ghosting over her skin and making her shiver. Lily slipped her hand onto his shoulder and straightened up, grabbing his other hand in hers as they started to move to the song.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Maybe we can wrap up after this song?" Lily wouldn't say it out loud, but she was eagerly looking forward to waltzing with James.

"Of course." James guided her into the waltzing steps. He was a natural at this, and Lily was relieved to find out that she wasn't _too_ terrible, either.

Lily leaned against James, letting him carry her weight. She might have felt bad, but her feet were aching and James was a rugby player anyway. He'd be fine. Plus, it was an excuse to be pressed up against him. Everywhere that their bodies were touching was tingling, and Lily felt like she was floating in a cloud somewhere above everyone else, where the only things in existence were her and James.

Before she knew it, the song was wrapping up, and Lily gently removed her head from under James' chin.

He took her hand and led her over to one of the corners, where they slumped onto a black couch. Lily was still pressed up to him and she had no intention of moving unless he asked her to.

"You're a really good dancer," she mumbled into the shoulder of his suit.

He laughed, and it was a dizzyingly beautiful sound that made her head spin. "You're not half-bad either, Lily Evans."

They sat there for a few minutes, occasionally murmuring to each other, watching the dancers on the floor spin and dip. Lily caught a glimpse of Marlene in the arms of a short, fair boy with light hair, and Sirius with his arm slung over the shoulder of a scarred sandy-haired boy that must have been Remus.

Finally, James stood up and stretched, offering Lily a hand to pull her up. She took it, standing up and facing him, their faces inches from each other. His breath tickled her face.

"James?" Lily murmured, staring up into his hazel eyes. All she wanted was to feel them on her cheeks, blinking softly and tickling her with his lashes.

"Yes?"

"I like you an embarrassing amount."

That had not been what he was expecting to hear, and James looked startled when she said that. Immediately, Lily regret saying anything, and the panic must have been visible in her eyes because James' gaze softened.

"I like you an embarrassing amount, too," he said, and Lily was equally astounded. Deep down she had already _known_ that — what boy would call her the most stunning girl in the room without liking her? But she couldn't help but be surprised, and the butterflies in her stomach were a solid indicator of that.

"Can you kiss me?"

James met her eyes, and the blazing look was back. His hand slipped to her waist, the other coming up to cup her cheek, and her skin was glowing so wonderfully.

And then he swooped down, his lips meeting hers, and Lily's mind went completely blank. The only thing she registered was his eyelashes fluttering against her brow, and then her heart was on fire.

When they finally pulled away, Lily didn't relinquish her grip on his hair or his waist.

"Lily?"

"Mhm?"

"I know a place where we can be alone and maybe continue this wonderful kiss if you'd like," James said, grinning.

Lily felt her breath coming out in short gasps of laughter. "Yes, of course. I would like nothing more," she said, beaming.

They stumbled out of the ballroom into some hallway. James dragged them into an empty room with a large bed, locked the door, and the two of them collapsed onto the bed, tangled into each other.

The kisses turned drugging, long and slow, hands wandering over each other's bodies, ghosting over exposed skin.

Lily thought of all the initial thoughts she had when she saw James that would get her a special place in Hell, and her lips curved into a wide smirk. She flipped James over, straddling him and pressing another long kiss onto his collarbone.

Yeah, she was going to Hell, but she knew she wouldn't regret it at all.


End file.
